Local Author, Patch Blogger Signing Books Today at Wild West Festival

Local author and Patch blogger Lynn Hubbard will be signing her book, Run into the Wind, today at the Cobb Library Foundation's 2nd Annual Wild West Festival.

Real cowboys and cowgirls, gunslingers, fast-draw demonstrations, and lasso lessons are just a few of the adventures planned for the day. You can listen to cowboy music and visit the chuck wagon to see how ranch hands cook. Lemonade from the Cactus Rose Saloon and photos taken by an authentic 1800s photographer will add to the fun. And what wild west event would be complete without a medicine show?

The Wild West Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

And if that isn’t enough, you’ll also witness sheriffs arresting the “bad guys” (local celebrities and community leaders) and taking them to the jail-house on site. They won’t be released until they raise bail money – which will also go to the libraries!

The Library Used Book Sale will also be going on. Bring a receipt for your purchase and you’ll get $1 off the Wild West Ticket price!

Tickets for the event are $5 per person and children three years old and younger get in free. For more information, visit www.cobblibraryfoundation.org.

Here is an excerpt from Run into the Wind:

Prologue

Mississippi, 1882

She stared intently at the still water, not daring to whisper. A soft breeze blew, spilling several stray strands of her long brown hair into her face. Impatiently she whisked them away as they tickled her nose. She could see shadows through the murky water as she sat on the bank. A flow of bubbles erupted from the depths and she smiled slightly as she saw more, then felt a slight tug on her line. Realizing its mistake the fish flailed around, haplessly trying to get free. Its erratic movements caused the surface of the water to quiver. Patiently she waited just a breath longer, letting the fish tire out a little, as she had been so carefully taught.

“Ha!” she exclaimed into the still morning, as she jubilantly pulled her line out of the water. The large bass dangling from her hook was the biggest one yet.

“Sabrina!” a deep voice growled from nearby, “You’re supposed to be quiet. You just scared away the one near my line.” She looked over at the large ebony-skinned man sprawled next to her in the tall grass at the edge of the river. Although he was only two years older than she was, he was three times her size.

“Oh Samuel, you’re just jealous. Besides we already caught enough fish this morning to practically feed the whole town.”

“Yeah, and you caught most of them,” Samuel grumbled good-naturedly.

“Guess you taught me too well.”

“Guess you’re right. We better be headin’ back before your father starts looking for us. ‘Sides you gotta get ready for the festival,” Samuel said, not bothering to hide his grin.

Sabrina groaned; she hated town functions, mostly because she was forced to dress up, and Samuel, her best friend, was not allowed to go. She looked down at her mud-soaked britches and sighed. The town was having a dance and a fish fry at the town hall. Since her pa was a Marshall, she had to go.

 Reluctantly, they clambered to their feet and pulled up their strings of fish from the water. Sabrina was struggling with her heavy load but Samuel knew better than to offer his help. He tossed his pole over his shoulder and the two headed toward Montgomery, their home. Montgomery was her mother’s maiden name, her father built the beautiful manor and named it after her mother out of devotion.

When Samuel was not working on the ranch he spent much of his free time with Sabrina, and loved her like a sister. His own sister had died from yellow fever years ago, and the only true family he had left was his mother. Samuel’s mother worked for Sabrina’s family also. She and Samuel had a small house set back behind Montgomery. Since Sabrina’s whole family was going into town, the help was given the day off to enjoy the festivities.

Sabrina sighed as she slowly picked her way along the well-worn path through the woods. It was no fair; Samuel wanted to go to the festival but his mother would not allow it, and she didn’t want to go but was forced to go anyway.

So bitter was Sabrina’s mood, she paid no attention to her surroundings even though it was a lovely morning. It had been an especially brutal summer, but the light breeze hinted that fall may come sooner than expected. The two traipsing through the woods were an unusual pair to behold but they both had the same passion for life and adventure, and this, especially, made them compatible.

As they neared the edge of the woods, they started to smell an odd scent. It lingered on the air for an instant and then it was gone. However, its effects were not. The brief whiff of smoke stopped them cold. Alma, Samuel’s mother, would have already had the wood stove up and running by this time, but it was not the sweet scent of the chicory wood that they smelled but something more frightening. Dropping the fish and equipment, they did not dare glance at each other as they quickly made their way up to the top of the knoll. At the peak, Sabrina stopped dead at the horrifying sight. Her home was on fire. She started to run but Samuel caught her and pulled her back down behind the tree line.

She started to fight him at first until she saw what he did: two strange men pulling Lydia, her older sister, from around the back of the house. She was kicking and screaming. Lydia kicked one of the men hard enough to gain her freedom. As she headed in Sabrina's direction, a single shot rang out, dropping her to the ground as the men chasing her caught up.

Sabrina gasped and covered her mouth with her hands to keep from screaming as she watched in horror. Her struggle with Samuel ceased as she sat in silent shock in the bushes. The scene was so surreal. The men seemed to be arguing among themselves. There were five in all, she would later recollect, but right then she did not notice. Her blood had turned to ice as she spotted the other body lying lifeless in the yard. She could make out her mother’s favorite yellow dress, now ruined from the red stain creeping across it; and her heart nearly stopped when she saw her father’s body softly swaying from the grand oak in the front yard. Then her world went black.